OPHELIA project: it’s time to say farewell to our three PV DC Transformers!
Following the successful Factory Acceptance Tests, it’s time to say farewell to our three PV DC Transformers – 250 kW 10 kV DC Solid-State Transformer for PV applications. They’re off to the Caderousse site, where they will be installed as part of the OPHELIA project: France’s first substantial MVDC linear photovoltaic power plant demonstrator.
When we ask the project team to sum up this journey in a single phrase, one response comes out: “an exciting challenge.” And rightly so. Over the past two years, the team has been dedicated to developing this cutting-edge, innovative equipment which has now achieved the technology readiness level needed for on-site testing.
This ambitious initiative has shaped our daily work at the Institute, introducing a host of technical, organisational and human challenges — all of them invigorating and inspiring.
Key features of our PV DC transfomer:
- Unidirectional step-up, isolated & resistant against short circuits
- Compact, minimising raw material usage
- Compatible with multi-MPPT
PV DC transfomer: it design is based on advanced technological bricks:
- SiC power semiconductor devices – enabling high frequency operation
- Medium frequency transformer – for a small size & high efficiency
- Oil insulation – for medium voltage insulation & cooling
This PV DC Transformer, presented at PCIM 2025, is a key enabling technology for emerging Medium-Voltage DC collector networks. It operates silently at medium frequency (>10 kHz) and provides galvanic isolation between the PV field and the MVDC collector network.
Bravo to the interdisciplinary teams involved in this project — technicians, engineers, support functions, and many others — we are making this innovation a reality today!
